by Laura Scott
They fell silent as their server returned with their drinks. Only after she left, promising to return when Eli White arrived, did Ginny speak up.
“I tried, Oscar, but no one wanted to talk to me.” Ginny looked put out. “I wasn’t trying to be nosy, just mentioned the possibility of getting our money back, but some people were downright rude.”
“Like who?” Gramps demanded.
“Kevin Kuhn, for one.” Ginny set her Coke aside. “He accused me of snooping into his business.”
Gramps flashed Ally a knowing look, no doubt remembering their interaction with him. “He was pretty upset when I happened to mention his dealings with Marty. In fact, he yelled at me, thumped his fist on the counter, and left Ally’s veterinary clinic in a huff.”
“See?” Ginny waved a hand. “That’s what I’m talking about. Kevin saw my question as an invasion of his personal life.” She sniffed. “As if I care what he does and when.”
“Who else did you talk to?” Gramps’ tone sounded casual, but Ally could tell he was having trouble restraining himself. “Anita Jones by chance?”
Ginny’s eyes widened comically. “How did you know?”
Ally tried not to roll her eyes. The woman was playing right into Gramps’ ego.
As if he needed any help from that perspective.
“I spoke to her right after Marty’s murder, and she claimed she wasn’t doing any business with him.” Gramps pinned Ginny with an intense gaze. “But I gotta tell you, I didn’t believe her. I think she was doing business with him, which is why she agreed to refer him to her friends and neighbors.”
Ginny nodded sagely. “Exactly. She told me the same thing, that there was no reason for her to be a part of any lawsuit because she hadn’t done any business with Marty. That her only goal was to help out a new neighbor by giving him referrals.”
Gramps took a long gulp of his lemonade. “What did your husband think of the idea? Is he on board with the plan?”
“Eli was hesitant at first, but he’s all gung-ho now. He’ll be happier once we get our money back, with interest.”
“Sure, sure.” Gramps nodded.
Roxy began growling low in her throat. Ally sat up and raked her gaze over the patio, trying to figure out who the dog was growling at.
Ginny frowned and gazed around the restaurant. “Where is he? This is late, even for Eli.”
Roxy’s growls grew in volume. Gramps turned to her. “Maybe you should take Roxy for a W-A-L-K?” He tipped his head to the side. “See what’s bothering her.”
Despite her earlier determination not to take Roxy through the sea of tables to sniff out a bad guy, she stood and unwound the leash from the chair. “Roxy? What is it, girl?”
She heard the thudding of footsteps but couldn’t see who they belonged to. Ally gave Roxy the lead, doing her best to follow the dog through the convoluted pathway around the patio tables.
There! Someone disappeared through the narrow opening between the Lakefront Café and the municipal building, not far, actually, from the spot where she’d been sitting that first night Roxy had growled at someone’s scent. Without glancing back at Gramps, Ally continued in Roxy’s wake.
When she reached the dark area between the two buildings, she hesitated, tugging on Roxy’s leash. “Wait, girl.”
Roxy stood on all fours, her nose pointed at the other end of the alley. Suddenly, Ally heard a car engine roar, the sound echoing loudly through the alley.
The Chevy truck with a bad muffler? Ally hurried forward with Roxy, but it was too late.
The loud vehicle was nowhere in sight.
Chapter Twenty
By the time Ally and Roxy made it back to the table, Ginny’s phone was ringing.
“Where is that stupid phone?” She dug around in her massive straw purse that matched her straw hat. “Oh, it’s Eli. Hello, where are you?”
Ally dropped beside Gramps, listening to the one-sided conversation. Gramps raised a brow, but she shook her head, indicating she’d found nothing.
“Well, that’s a shame, okay, then. I’ll see you when I get home.” Ginny disconnected from her phone and dropped it into her purse. “Eli isn’t feeling well, so he won’t be joining us after all.”
Wasn’t that interesting? Ally glanced over to the other side of the patio, wondering if Eli had started over only to be outed by Roxy’s growl. “His illness came on rather suddenly, didn’t it?”
Ginny frowned. “Well, you know how it is with these summer bugs. One minute you’re fine, the next you’re not.”
“Are you sure he’s at home?” Ally persisted.
“Yes, he has no reason to lie. Besides, I heard the cuckoo clock chiming in the background.” Ginny craned her neck searching for their server. “I’m ready to order if you are, Oscar.”
“Sure,” Gramps agreed.
Ally felt certain Ginny would have preferred to have Gramps all to herself, but she wasn’t leaving. Why hadn’t she considered Eli White as a suspect? For all they knew, Ginny was oblivious to what her husband might have done.
“What kind of car does Eli drive?” Ally asked.
Ginny and Gramps both stared at her as if she’d sprouted wings and declared her intent to fly.
“Why do you ask?” Ginny’s tone was sharp.
Gramps lightly kicked her under the table, as if annoyed with her lack of subtlety.
“Oh, um, I thought I saw Eli the other day.” Ally took a hurried sip of her raspberry lemonade and then began coughing and choking when it went down the wrong pipe.
“You okay?” Gramps thumped her on the back. Roxy stared up at her, wide brown eyes full of concern.
“Fine,” she managed between hacking coughs. “Water?”
No water had been set on the table. Ally took a tentative sip of raspberry lemonade, slower this time.
“I didn’t realize you’d met Eli,” Ginny commented, when Ally finally managed to stop coughing.
“I ran into him at the sandwich shop,” Ally replied.
“The sandwich shop? Why on earth would that make you curious about his car?” Ginny demanded.
Good question. Ally sent a panicked glance at Gramps. She wasn’t cut out for this kind of thing. Her interrogation skills sucked. If she’d been smart, she would have found a way to get Gramps to ask about the car.
Gramps would have gotten the information without choking to death or breaking a sweat.
“No reason,” Ally murmured. “I was just curious.”
Their server approached, so they spent the next few minutes ordering dinner. When the woman left, Ginny had eyes only for Gramps.
“Oscar, I heard you visit the library every week, do you have any recommendations for me?”
This time, Ally poked him beneath the table in an attempt to prevent him from recommending Ginny read The Evil Within.
“Oh, you must have spoken to Rosie,” Gramps said with a smile. “I read a lot of true crime stuff, you might not be interested in those books. But I did read the latest David Baldacci. Have you tried the Amos Dekker series? It’s great.”
“No, I haven’t.” Ginny was at least twenty-five years younger than Gramps, but she actually batted her eyelashes at him. “Sounds intriguing.”
“I used to listen to some of his audiobooks, back when I was doing more driving between construction sites,” Gramps added.
It was all Ally could do not to gape in surprise. Audiobooks? The man who couldn’t use his cell phone without yelling in her ear? No way.
“I haven’t tried listening to audiobooks,” Ginny admitted.
“My son used to get them for me. I guess he listened to them often during his commute from here to the university.”
Understanding dawned. Gramps didn’t listen to audiobooks. This was just his way of getting back to the type of car Eli White drove. Ally smiled at Ginny. “The newer cars have it so that the book plays right off your smart phone and through the speakers. It’s pretty cool technology.” Ally sighed dramatically. “My Honda is t
oo old to have that feature.”
“Our cars are too old, too, I’m sure,” Ginny said, waving her hand. “Eli drives them until they’re beyond repair.”
“Speaking of which, do you need a ride home now that Eli is sick?” Ally asked. “I can give you a lift.”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary. We live just a few blocks behind the municipal building.”
“Close to Marty Shawlin, then?” Gramps said idly.
“Not close enough to have heard the commotion, but not far.” Ginny frowned. “I still can’t believe we had a murder here in Willow Bluff.”
“Me either,” Ally agreed.
“It’s the first one we’ve had in the past few years, since old Benny Halloway pushed his wife down the stairs.” Ginny tsk-tsked. “And he confessed right away, so there was no real investigation by the police needed to solve that one.”
“I remember that. You know, Ally here found Marty’s body,” Gramps confided in a low voice. “How long would he have been lying there if she hadn’t agreed to take Roxy for a walk every day at lunchtime, I wonder?”
“It’s crazy.” Ginny didn’t look the least bit surprised at the revelation. The way news traveled around here Ally wondered if everyone in town had a secret phone number they used for updated gossip. “That must have been dreadful.”
“It was.” Ally wanted to get back to the subject of Eli White’s car but couldn’t find a good transition.
Gramps seemed to have run out of ideas too. A few minutes later, their food arrived and conversation lagged as they ate. Ally picked up the check, feeling it was the least she could do.
“We insist on driving you home,” Gramps announced. “Ally, why don’t you run back and get your car? We’ll wait here.”
“Okay.” Ally wasn’t sure why Gramps wanted her out of the way, but she stood and unwrapped Roxy’s leash. It didn’t take more than five minutes for her to get back to the clinic. She put Roxy in the crated hatchback, then drove back toward the Lakefront Café.
“See? I knew that wouldn’t take long.” Gramps grinned and gestured for Ginny to precede him. “You can sit up front if you like.”
“Okay.” Ginny slid into the passenger seat while Ally helped Gramps into the back.
Ginny gave her directions to the house, which indeed was just two blocks from Marty’s place. As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed a red and rather rusty Chevy truck parked in the garage.
The same one they’d seen a few nights ago? Up close, it looked older and in worse shape than the one she remembered.
Then again, she’d only gotten a quick glimpse.
Ally couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away. Was it possible Eli had thrown the rock at her clinic, then escaped in his old rusty Chevy? Then took things a step further to steal the GMC truck to run her off the road? Had Eli White murdered Marty Shawlin? Had he taken off earlier, despite what Ginny had said about his being home, due to her hearing the cuckoo clock? This all seemed to be a stretch, just like most of Gramps’ theories.
“Thanks for dinner and the ride,” Ginny said cheerfully, unaware of the tumultuous thoughts running through her mind. “Don’t be a stranger, Oscar.”
“I won’t,” Gramps assured her.
Ginny got out of the car, waved, and walked toward the house.
“Do you see it?” Gramps asked from the back seat.
“Yeah. Think it’s the same one we saw near the Legacy House? And the vehicle that was heard after the rock slammed into my clinic?” Ally backed out of the driveway.
“I don’t remember it being in such rough shape, but maybe. If so, that detective of yours should already have the guy behind bars,” Gramps muttered in disgust. “What’s taking him so long?”
Ally didn’t have an answer for that. It was all so confusing. Noah had asked them to trust him, and she was trying. Yet Willow Bluff didn’t have a high crime rate, especially related to murder.
It could be that Gramps was right about Noah’s inability to solve the crime.
And it was distressing to think that Marty’s murderer might get off scot-free.
* * *
Ally dropped Gramps off at the Legacy house and dredged up the willpower to refuse Harriet’s offer of hot fudge sundaes for dessert. She took a moment to check on Lydia’s twisted ankle, relieved to see that it wasn’t too badly swollen.
“I’ll be ready to help next week, Ally,” Lydia promised.
“I don’t mind working for you, either, Ally,” Gramps added, as if she could possibly forget.
“I know, thanks to both of you.” As she left, she hoped that one day she could afford to hire a real vet tech to relieve the widows from their duty.
She was about to head home when she decided to take a quick swing past the house with the green Ford on Terrace Lane. Had Noah questioned Kimberly about hitting Amos?
If he had, she doubted he’d let her or Gramps know.
Really, Noah should be working with them on this. Especially if he didn’t have much experience in homicide. Not that she and Gramps were experts, but the more minds working the details, the better, right? The more she thought about that, the angrier she became.
Annoyed, she returned to the clinic. After opening the hatch and letting Roxy out, she took the dog for a short walk before going inside. Roxy’s nails were loud against the hardwood floor, so she made a mental note to clip them in the morning.
She filled Roxy’s food and water dishes, then ran down to clean the clinic. Tomorrow was Friday and she only had one appointment scheduled, but it was bright and early at eight o’clock.
Pungent bleach filled her nose as she wiped down all the surfaces. Why had Gramps set an appointment for eight o’clock? Maybe she should post regular hours for the Furry Friends Veterinary Clinic. At first, there’d been no need as there hadn’t been many clients to care for, but now that business was picking up, Ally didn’t want to work at the whim of the local pet owners.
But she was working, which was the point.
Staying flexible during the summer hours might be smart, and once she found some sort of routine, she could post regular hours.
Except of course she’d always be available on call for emergencies.
Like poor Amos being hit by a car.
She made another mental note to check with Mitch on Amos’s progress the next day, then went back upstairs. Roxy wanted out one last time, then she settled down to sleep.
* * *
The loud BEEP BEEP BEEP of her alarm had Ally skyrocketing out of bed. She groaned and stared at the time. Six o’clock. “I hate mornings,” she muttered, hitting the snooze button with more force than was probably necessary.
But getting another ten minutes of rest was impossible. Roxy was up and licking her face for attention. Ally gently pushed her away. Roxy whined and licked again. Ally groaned and rolled out of bed. “Fine, I’ll take you out.”
She used the bathroom and decided not to change out of her baggy shorts and ratty T-shirt she used as sleepwear. She slid her feet into flip-flops, hooked Roxy’s leash, and took the stairs outside.
Because she was dressed like a bum, Ally stayed along the back of the building. Roxy wasn’t having it, though, and strained against the leash in an effort to go farther.
Ally stumbled after Roxy, letting the dog take the lead. She had a baggie in her pocket and was more than ready for Roxy to finish her business so she could shower and change.
Roxy turned the corner, still pulling at the leash. Ally frowned when she realized Roxy was taking her toward Marty’s house.
She hadn’t been there since that first day she’d stumbled across Marty’s body.
“What is it, girl? Are you missing Marty?” Ally gave up fighting the dog, letting the boxer lead her down the street toward her previous home.
The white Cape Cod with black shutters looked the same, with the exception of the crime scene tape still crisscrossed over the door.
Noah hadn’t released the house yet? Interesting. The
y must have gotten all the evidence out of there by now, hadn’t they? Too bad she hadn’t taken the time to look through the papers around Marty’s briefcase. Certainly, Noah must have garnered a decent list of suspects from those.
Had Noah crossed Sheila off the list? She remembered now Gramps’ theory about Sheila Young potentially being Marty’s beneficiary, despite their recent divorce. If Ginny and Eli White could be considered suspects over a measly sixteen hundred dollars, imagine how much Sheila stood to gain from the property.
From the little Ally knew about the woman, Sheila seemed to be the type to pester Noah to release the house if she was entitled to the property. Now that she’d relocated to Chicago, Sheila would no doubt want the place listed with the colorfully annoying Ellen Cartwright ASAP.
Roxy used Marty’s front lawn to do her business. For a split second Ally toyed with the idea of leaving Roxy’s gift for Sheila, but the responsible pet owner in her couldn’t do it. She scooped the poop and looked around for a place to dump it. Along the side of Marty’s one-car garage, she could see two large containers, one for garbage the other for recycling.
With a shrug, she walked up the driveway to the side of the garage and used the garbage can. Roxy sniffed the air, making Ally wonder if she could still pick up Marty’s scent all these days later.
Personally? She thought it was likely Roxy could. “Better, girl?” She asked. “Can we go home, now?”
Roxy looked up at her, wagging her stumpy tail.
Ally bent over to scratch the softness behind Roxy’s ears, feeling bad she hadn’t come by this way before. “Wow, Roxy. All this time you were missing Marty and I never noticed. What kind of vet am I, anyway?”
Roxy licked the back of her hand.
“I guess that means I’m forgiven.” Ally straightened and was about to turn away when she caught a glimpse of a house two doors down.
She frowned. Anita Jones’s house? She took several steps to get a better view of the back side of the home. As she watched, the door opened, and a figure eased out. It took a moment for her to realize it was a man with brown hair, someone she didn’t recognize from the back, who was leaving Anita’s house through the back door. What in the world was he doing? As the question flashed through her mind, Roxy began to growl.